| Birding Areas in and around Altos del Maria |
 |  |  |  |  |
The Altos del Maria area
Altos del Maria is located in the mountains of central Panama. It is a gated community and access is limited to residents and their guests.
Contact : Alfred Raab for more information.
The lower Valley of Altos del Maria: Altitude between 550m and 700m. The valley is divided by the Maria river. The south side of the lower valley and the
Toscana II area are dryer than the north side.
There are lots of Orange-chinned Parakeets on the south side of the valley and they all are roosting in the Toscana II area.
Altos del Maria is located in the mountains of central Panama. It is a gated community and access is limited to residents and their guests.
Contact : Alfred Raab for more information.
The lower Valley of Altos del Maria: Altitude between 550m and 700m. The valley is divided by the Maria river. The south side of the lower valley and the
Toscana II area are dryer than the north side.
There are lots of Orange-chinned Parakeets on the south side of the valley and they all are roosting in the Toscana II area.
Along the Maria river is a beautiful walk, about 4km long, the river can be noisy at
times and few birds can be heard. The Louisiana Waterthrush was seen there.
The north side of the valley gets a bit more rain in the dry season and therefore it
has a mature secondary growth forest. Birding is excellent throughout the year.
The bird list around CASA ALGITA, which is located in the Toscana area on the
northside of the valley at 650m stands at over 150 species. Good birds seen are:
Rosy-thrush Tanager, Elegant Euhponia (very rare), Lance-tailed Manakin, Masked
Tityra, Piratic Flycatcher, Jet Antbird (very rare), Common Potoo and many more.
There are two higher elevation areas in Altos del Maria, one is on the south side
of the valley and the other on the north side. The area on the south side has a
connecting road to El Valle which is most of the time passable in the dry season
with a 4x4 car. Both higher elevation areas go up to 1100m and have excellent
virgin forests, often in the fog and very windy on exposed ridges. Birding is
excellent at any time of the year.
Good birds seen are: Yellow-billed Cacique, Black-faced Grossbeak, White-vented
Euphonia, Shining Honeycreeper, Pale-vented Thrush, Ochraceous Wren,
Thrush-like Schiffornis, White-throated Spadebill, Black-crowned Antpitta,
Brown-billed Scythbill, Tawny-throated Leaftosser (rare), Red-faced Spinetail,
Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Blue-throated Toucanet, Orange-billed Trogan and
many more.
.
times and few birds can be heard. The Louisiana Waterthrush was seen there.
The north side of the valley gets a bit more rain in the dry season and therefore it
has a mature secondary growth forest. Birding is excellent throughout the year.
The bird list around CASA ALGITA, which is located in the Toscana area on the
northside of the valley at 650m stands at over 150 species. Good birds seen are:
Rosy-thrush Tanager, Elegant Euhponia (very rare), Lance-tailed Manakin, Masked
Tityra, Piratic Flycatcher, Jet Antbird (very rare), Common Potoo and many more.
There are two higher elevation areas in Altos del Maria, one is on the south side
of the valley and the other on the north side. The area on the south side has a
connecting road to El Valle which is most of the time passable in the dry season
with a 4x4 car. Both higher elevation areas go up to 1100m and have excellent
virgin forests, often in the fog and very windy on exposed ridges. Birding is
excellent at any time of the year.
Good birds seen are: Yellow-billed Cacique, Black-faced Grossbeak, White-vented
Euphonia, Shining Honeycreeper, Pale-vented Thrush, Ochraceous Wren,
Thrush-like Schiffornis, White-throated Spadebill, Black-crowned Antpitta,
Brown-billed Scythbill, Tawny-throated Leaftosser (rare), Red-faced Spinetail,
Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Blue-throated Toucanet, Orange-billed Trogan and
many more.
.
El Valle (left picture)
El Valle has a geologically unique setting, it's nestled in
the second largest volcano crater in the world. A five by
three mile crater was created when a volcano blew its
top off five million years ago. The result was a lovely
valley surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and rich
volcanic soil that gives way to flowers and verdant forest .
El Valle also boasts a near perfect year round spring
climate.
There are lots of different types of accomodations
available.
Birding is similar to Altos del Maria.
How To Get There:
El Valle is located about 90 minutes drive from the
Bridge of Americas. Once you drive about 60 minutes
just past the town of San Carlos, turn right and go up the
mountain road for about 30 minutes until you descend
into the valley of El Valle.
The road to El Valle is in excellent condition.
There is also a road from Altos del Maria to El Valle,
which is paved, but steep and a 4x4 is required. The
road can be driver all year.
El Valle has a geologically unique setting, it's nestled in
the second largest volcano crater in the world. A five by
three mile crater was created when a volcano blew its
top off five million years ago. The result was a lovely
valley surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and rich
volcanic soil that gives way to flowers and verdant forest .
El Valle also boasts a near perfect year round spring
climate.
There are lots of different types of accomodations
available.
Birding is similar to Altos del Maria.
How To Get There:
El Valle is located about 90 minutes drive from the
Bridge of Americas. Once you drive about 60 minutes
just past the town of San Carlos, turn right and go up the
mountain road for about 30 minutes until you descend
into the valley of El Valle.
The road to El Valle is in excellent condition.
There is also a road from Altos del Maria to El Valle,
which is paved, but steep and a 4x4 is required. The
road can be driver all year.
Campana National Park:
This is another beautiful National Park within 40 min from Altos del Maria, worthwhile visiting.
This is another beautiful National Park within 40 min from Altos del Maria, worthwhile visiting.
Punta Chame:
The Punta Chame peninsula can be reached in
40 minutes from Altos del Maria. Half way out on
the road to the peninsula are lagunes which are
excellent for shorebirds and herons.
At the beaches of Punta Chame you can see
very large flocks of terns during the winter
months, shorebirds on the mudflats, herons
and over the ocean look out for boobies.
The Punta Chame peninsula can be reached in
40 minutes from Altos del Maria. Half way out on
the road to the peninsula are lagunes which are
excellent for shorebirds and herons.
At the beaches of Punta Chame you can see
very large flocks of terns during the winter
months, shorebirds on the mudflats, herons
and over the ocean look out for boobies.
Gamboa and surrounding area:
Gamboa is the best area for birding in the low land tropical rainforest, just 30 min from Panama or 90 min from Altos del Maria.
The well known Pipeline Road starts just outside Gamboa and the newly built Panama Rainforest Discovery Center has a 40 m high viewing tower
where you can observe the birds from various platforms. This is a must visit if you are in Panama.
Other good birding spots are: Old Gamboa Road, Summit Pond, Summit Garden and the El Charco Trail.
The Achiote Road is an excellent place to see many Caribean slope birds, easy to reach from Gamboa on a day trip.
Accomodation in Gamboa:
Ivan's Bed and Breakfast is an outstanding
family run B&B at reasonable rates.
go to: http://www.gamboaecotours.com/
Gamboa is the best area for birding in the low land tropical rainforest, just 30 min from Panama or 90 min from Altos del Maria.
The well known Pipeline Road starts just outside Gamboa and the newly built Panama Rainforest Discovery Center has a 40 m high viewing tower
where you can observe the birds from various platforms. This is a must visit if you are in Panama.
Other good birding spots are: Old Gamboa Road, Summit Pond, Summit Garden and the El Charco Trail.
The Achiote Road is an excellent place to see many Caribean slope birds, easy to reach from Gamboa on a day trip.
Accomodation in Gamboa:
Ivan's Bed and Breakfast is an outstanding
family run B&B at reasonable rates.
go to: http://www.gamboaecotours.com/
El Cope National Park:
To access this park drive 17km past Penonome, then turn
right and drive 26 km to the village of El Cope.
The park is a short distance up the mountain. It has
extensive forest up to an elevation of 1300m.
There is a basic hotel available in the village of El Cope.
To access this park drive 17km past Penonome, then turn
right and drive 26 km to the village of El Cope.
The park is a short distance up the mountain. It has
extensive forest up to an elevation of 1300m.
There is a basic hotel available in the village of El Cope.
